Flour-dressing machine



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet l. A. HUNTER & E. KUEHNE.

FLOUR DRESSING MACHINE.

Patented May 22 Z Z1 M 7 2 W w 6 J a ZJ Ziw I W T M 7 r. Jf

M5 i'w/ew'ss em I u. PETERS. Photo-whom, wuglin m n. c

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. HUNTER 88 E. KUEHNE. FLOUR DRESSING MACHINE.

No. 278.148. Patented May 22,1883.

Illa/k N. PETERS; FhDlO-Uthbgnphur, Wmhingwm D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ANDREW HUNTER AND ERNST KUEHNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLOUR-DRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,143, dated May 22, 1883.

Application filed December 26, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANDREW HUNTER and ERNST KUEHNE, citizens of the United States,

is a like representation in the plane of the line 3 got Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail 0 the stationary cylinder. The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts.

A represents theframe of the machine,\vhich .is adapted to receive and support the working or operative parts suitably.

B is a receiving-hopper, into which the meal is fed. This hopper has a closeor tight fitting cover, a, in which is a tube, a, to permit the air to escape that enters with the meal.

0 is a rotary shaft passing horizontally through the hopper B, and b b are radial arms or teeth fitted or applied to the said shaft.

D represents wire-cloth, so hnn g in the hopper B as to hold the meal up to the action of the teeth I) b.

E is a screw-conveyer, arranged horizontally in the bottom of the hopper B and located below the wire-cloth D.

F is a drop-valve, hinged at its upper edge to the inner end,-near the bottom portion of the hopper, and swinging outward with relation to the hopper.

G G are magnets arranged in the hopper. I is a chamber having a hopper-shaped bottom, and J is a stationary hollow cylinder located in the chamber 1. The cylinder J consists ofannular or segmental ribs 0 0, attached to cross-bars c a, secured to the walls of the chamber 1. The cylinder J therefore,is skeleton in form or open between the ribs 0 0; but we close these, the lower openings by means of canvas 0 and the u )er b means of silk ll .l

bolting-cloth 0, applied to the cylinder. The cylinder J, as will hereinafter be perceived, performs the function of a bolter, and we make its frame in detachable and interchangeable sections.

K is a rotary shaft passing centrally through the cylinder J, and K K are arms extending radially from the said shaft.

L L are horizontal bars or helical heaters attached to the endsof the arms K K. The arms K K on one end of theshaft K are set a little farther around than those on the other, so as to give a slight degree of spiralityor diagonal direction to the heaters L L, as indicated in Fig. 2.

I M is a passage or eduction-opening into the cylinder J, and d is an inclined shelf or chute at the upper end of said passage. Near the lower end of the passage M is an outwardlyopening gravitatin g valve, d. The drop valve also opens into the cylinder J, as shown.

N is an air-chamber above the chamber I, and N is an air-pipe entering the chamber N.

0 and O are screw-conveyers arranged below the cylinder J. Between the conveyers O and O! is a partition, 6, in which are slides a c and an opening, 6. The slides c e are located in openings in the partition 6, and these are opened by drawing these slides out and closed by pushing them in.

P P are openingsin the bottom of the dresser.

Q Q, are removable panels in the sides of the dresser.

It is a partition of cloth arranged vertically across the upper part of the chamber I,

S is the driving-pulley.

No fans are used in the flour-dressing machine.

The operation of the parts now described is as follows: The meal is fed into the hopper B and falls upon the wire-cloth D, where the flaky particles and fractured middlings are broken or disintegrated by the teeth or arms I) b. The magnets G G catch and hold any small particles of metal that may have entered with the meal. 1 The meal then falls upon theconveyer E, and is carried to and out of the drop-valve F, which is opened by the meal and only enough to let the meal out, thereby preventing the air from entering into the cylinder J, only that which is contained in the openings in the meal. The onlyplace where air can enter into the cylinder J is through the-openings protected by the drop-valves F and d. The air that enters with the meal finds an easy escape through the tube a, which is located immediately over or above the drop-valve F. The meal which passes out through the dropvalve F falls into the cylinder J, where it is operated upon by the helical heaters L L. The heavy portion of the meal, or that part having a certain specific gravity, is thrown against the covering of the cylinder J, and the "fine fluff and impurities, having a certain specific gravity, remain in the center until carried to the tail end by the helical heaters. The fine fluff and that part of the heavy material which is too coarse to pass through the bolting-cloth are lifted up and fall on the shelf at and pass out through the passage M and dropvalves d. The drop-valve d, like the drop-valve F, opens only enough to permit the tailings to pass out, and thus prevents the entrance of air. The fine heavy part of the contents of the cylinder J is forced through the bolting-cloth and falls 0 upon the-conveyer O, by means of which it is carried to the opening 0, where it passes out ofthe machine. If it is necessary to return a part of the flour, we open one or more of the slides e c, which allows that portion under the opened slides to fall on the conveyer O and be conveyed out through the lower opening, 6. The heavy portions of the contents of the cylinder J are thrown out against the silk or the periphery of the cylinder by the centrifugal action of the heaters L L. The air being as nearly as possible excluded from the cylinder, the heaters form a circuitous current around their own circuit of revolution of greater force than the specific gravity of the fiufi. Consequently it remains in the center of the circuit until carried to the tail end by the action of the spiral heaters. The heaters operate much the same as they would if rotated in a vacuum. Consequently there is no current of air to carry the fine tlufl'y material from the center to the periphery and force it through the silk with the flour. If heated air is permitted to remain in the cylinder, it must condense. Consequently the moisture, coming in contact with the flour, will cause a portion of the coloring-matter to adhere to it, as well as softening the flour. By this means the condition and quality of the flour are much improved. The tailings are also cleaner, and the dresser is comparatively compact and requires a comparatively small power to run it. The canvas (1, which covers the bottom of the cylinder, allows the bottom frame of the cylinder to he made light, thereby producing an elasticity or spring movement which causes the silk on the upper sections to keep clean, which otherwise would require brushing if a solid board or metal bottom were used. The direction of the movement of thebeaters IOL is indicated by the arrow shown in Fig. 3. The canvas a" holds the meal until it is carried by the heaters up and against the silk 0' on that side of the cylinder where the movethe lifting side would be dark and spccky the flour on the downward side, if clothed with No. 16 silk, would be soft and greasy. We are well aware that graded cloth has been used but each grade of numbers extended around the circumference. All dressers that employ a revolving cylinder could receive no benefit from coarse numbers on one side and fineon the other. The only way we could reach satisfactory results was by using comparatively fine silk on the up side and coarser on the downward side.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-, ters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a flour-dressing machine, of a ventilated hopper and rotating teeth I) b with concave wire-cloth D, conveyer E, and trap-door F, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in a flour-dressing machine, of chamber I, the stationary bolting cylinder J, connectingtherewith, aventilatingchamber in their top, and air-escape tube N, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, in a flour-dressing ma chine, of a stationary bolting-chamber with an air-escape on top extending the length of the cylinder, a series of revolving helical heaters, a feeding-hopper, and an eduction for carryiug oh? the discharge from the tail of the beaters, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In a flour-dressing machine, the combination of revolving heaters and a stationary bolting-cylinder having its bottom covered with canvas and the sides and top covered with bolting-cloth, the up or lifting side being covered with finer bolting-cloth than the down side, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The combination, in a flour-dressing machine, of the chamber 1, having in its top an air-discharge, a stationary bolting-cylinder, a series of revolving heaters, a feeding-hopper communicating with the cylinder, and the drop-valves F and D, substantially as and for the purposes specified;

6. The combination, in a flour-dressing ma chine, of a receiving-hopper, revolving teeth ings e e, substantially as and for the purtherein for disintegrating the chop or tailposes specified. ings, the chamber I, the stationary boltingcylinder J, connecting therewith, a ventilating- 5 chamber in their top, the helical heaters L L, the drop-valves F and d, the conveyers O and O, thepartition e, the slides a e, and the open- ANDREW HUNTER.

ERNST KUEHNE.

Witnesses:

N. GowLEs, JAMEs HENDERSON. 

